This proposal requests support for the purchase of the ATL HDI 5000CV Ultrasound System, which will be used for echocardiographic analysis of cardiovascular structure and function in experimental animal model systems. The system, which will be a shared resource within the Animal Physiology Core Laboratory at NYU School of Medicine will serve as a crucial resource for the ongoing and planned research programs of numerous NlH-funded investigators drawn from a wide range of departments at our institution. Many of the major users of this system use transgenic and gene-targeted murine models to examine cardiac development and disease. Other investigators employ larger mammalian models with experimentally-induced cardiac dysfunction. Thus a system with an wide range of spatial and temporal resolution for both large mammal and murine echocardiography is essential. The ATL HDI 5000CV is an outstanding and highly versatile imaging system that has been used extensively for experimental and clinical work by many members of the investigative team. The unit is also widely used by cardiovascular investigators throughout the United States. There is no comparable system available for experimental animal work at NYU School of Medicine. Indeed, at present, investigators either export their animals for study elsewhere, utilize aging and outmoded clinical echocardiographic equipment, or attempt to utilize human clinical imaging systems within the hospital during off-hours, a practice which is unacceptable. The new Imaging System will improve the effectiveness of ongoing and planned projects of established investigators at NYU, as well as those of a number of recent faculty recruits to NYU School of Medicine's new Cardiovascular Research Program, investigators whose work has come to depend upon the availability of high quality echocardiographic analysis. Almost all of these investigators are supported by NIH funding. In addition, the new Imaging System will be available to the entire NYU Medical Center community, where it will undoubtedly elicit new research projects from a variety of scientists within the NYU research community.